


Something Fishy

by Themooncat



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Merman Kuroo Tetsurou, Merpeople, POV Alternating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 21:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20122057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Themooncat/pseuds/Themooncat
Summary: Tsukishima was dragged by Yamaguchi to Yachi's family lake house. He's pretty much a third wheel so decides to wander off on his own. He finds a small lake where he can relax and have some time alone to himself... or at least he thought he was alone.





	Something Fishy

**Author's Note:**

> An idea that I had in my head for so long and decided to write it out. It's a summer holiday before they all go off to college. Yamaguchi and Yachi invite Tsuki to the lake house to hang with them as Tsukishima is going to college in Tokyo. 
> 
> You can write sequels or your own take based on this story if you'd like, just credit/link this fic :) 
> 
> I don't have a beta so any mistakes are my own. Please let me know so I can fix it.

Tsukishima couldn't handle any more of the lovey-dovey display of affection from Yamaguchi and Yachi. Don't get him wrong, he loved the two and was happy they were finally together – after years of them pining over each other. But there was just so much he could take!

He knew when he agreed to go to the lake house with them that they would be all over each other, yet here he was. 

He slipped away when Yamaguchi and Yachi were distracted and decided to explore the area around the lake. He took out some supplies and a basket of snacks, mainly strawberries, took a bicycle from the lake house and set off. 

He explored the lake area, which was occupied by some of the neighbours, but wanted some peace to himself so decided to venture into the forest for a nice place under a shaded tree, or if he was lucky, another small lake or pond. He was in luck, deep in the forest, he found a small lake. 

He propped the bike against a tree and walked down to the dock, taking in the environment and feeling the cool breeze. Birds were singing in the trees nearby and the water was calm, save for a couple of ripples made by the fish beneath. Tsukishima put his things down and sat at the end of the dock, his legs dangling down. 

He took out his iPod which had a waterproof case and an old raggedy pair of earphones, not having brought his good ones or his headphones – psh! No way was he going to risk getting them wet!– he played his “chill music” playlist and just took in his surroundings, feeling calm and relaxed. Tsukishima wished then that he brought colour pencils and some paper. No, he wasn't an artist, he just wanted to do his best to try and capture the beauty of the place. 

He was humming along to the third song of his playlist, munching on some strawberries and cream when he had this strange feeling that something was watching him. He instinctively looked around but there was no one in sight, just some ripples in the water caused by fish that probably got startled by his movement. 

_ You're being silly. No one is here.  _

He swallowed his mouthful and decided to take a dip. He placed is earphones and iPod in a waterproof container before slipping off his glasses and placed it there too. He paused, realising he forgot his goggles.  _ Great _ . He sighed but shrugged it off.

He could still enjoy the water even if he couldn't see the fish. 

He pulled his shirt off and placed it aside, making sure that it was at a safe distance to avoid any splashes he made. 

Tsukishima dove in, the cool water engulfing him was refreshing. He swam around the lake seeing a few fish that were brave enough to approach him.

He was watching a couple of sunfish, goldfish and fish that looked like koi —Tsukishima guessed the houses surrounding the main lake most likely just dumped their pet fish here when they couldn't take care of them anymore— chase each other playfully. Until a group of betta fish came along and scared away the three. Tsukishima swam around a bit more, moving slowly as to not scare the fish, when he felt a pair of eyes on him yet again. Tsukishima looked around but found only fish. He swam back up to the surface and took in some oxygen. He brushed his hair away from his face and saw how pruned his fingers were. He had been swimming for quite some time that the sun had started to set. Not wanting to be there when it was dark, Tsukishima headed back to the dock. He was swimming smoothly, a slow breaststroke back to the dock, when he decided to just float on his back for a while and take in the sunset view, the clouds that were washed with different hues of red, orange and purple of the sky. 

After he was satisfied Tsukishima went back to the dock. 

He was in the process of drying his hair with the towel he brought when a voice startled him.

“Hey, haven't seen you around before.” 

Tsukishima jumped and turned to see who it was when he slipped on a newly formed puddle of water beneath his feet and fell into the lake. 

The towel wrapped around him as it soaked up the water, obscuring his view. Tsukishima was trying to remove the towel so he could see and get back up to the surface when he felt arms wrap around him and he was being lifted back up to the surface. 

He managed to unwrap the towel off his face by the time they reached the surface and he took in a deep gasp of air, coughing out some water he had inhaled when he fell. 

“Sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!” A raspy yet smooth voice said. Tsukishima looked into the eyes of the person who saved him– but also caused him to fall– and was met with a handsome face. “Hi,” the man said with a shy smile. “I'm kuroo tetsurou.” 

“Tsukishima.” He replied a bit breathlessly. 

Grey eyes with a hint of hazel, sharp features and dark wet hair that complimented his face, this guy was captivating. This guy… Still had is arms around him and was holding him up bridal style… He must've had really strong legs to keep them both afloat.

“I’m– It's ok, I just thought I was alone here. I- I was just startled and slipped” Tsukishima gave him a small smile then cleared his throat as he tried to move but couldn't ‘cause of the arms around him. “You can let me go now.” Tsukishima said with a small laugh. 

The man blushed and slowly let him go. Tsukishima kicked his legs lightly to tread water when something brushed against his foot. Something that was definitely not a leg. 

He looked down to see if he could see the fish that swam by, it had to big judging by the weight and the fact that it’s body height seemed to be the size of his shin. But when he looked down, trying to see through the darkening water and past the reflections of the sky, all he saw was a koi tail. 

A giant red, black and white koi tail that seemed to be attached to Kuroo. 

“You– That… You have a tail.” Was what Tsukishima ended up saying after a couple of seconds of gaping like a fish. ( _ Ha! _ ) 

  
Kuroo’s face paled and he slowly placed a gentle hand on Tsukishima's shoulder trying to calm Tsukishima. “Please don't freak out.” He winced.

“I'm not freaking out.” Tsukishima scoffed, he was telling the truth he wasn't freaking out, he was… confused. “I just–… You're a– but they don't-... well, I mean, I guess they do since you're…” Tsukishima looked back down at Kuroo's tail. Unable to form a complete sentence. 

Tsukishima laughed at the ridiculousness of his situation. 

“Ummm… Did I actually hit my head when I fell? Am I dead? … Sorry, I just–... You know, I might be freaking out a little. I've never met a mermaid… merman? before and this is kind of hard for me to process.” 

Kuroo gave let out a small laugh. “You didn't hit your head and no, you're not dead. That'd be a shame because I really like you. You have a nice singing voice.”

Tsukishima blushed and stuttered before he composed himself. “I– you–… Were you watching me the whole time?” Kuroo’s cheeky grin confirmed it and Tsukishima found that he didn’t really mind. “I knew I felt eyes on me!... you know that’s quite creepy, right?”

Kuroo’s laugh took Tsukishima’s breath away. He wished he could always see Kuroo smile like that. 

“I mean it wasn’t like I could just come up to you when I am–… oh, wait... Nevermind. I’m such an idiot. I could have changed back.”

Tsukishima was about to ask what he meant by that when Kuroo sighed dramatically and then floated on his back, _human_ _legs_ and thankfully swim trunks where his tail was before bobbing up on the water’s surface. 

“Wow. neat trick.” Tsukishima floated onto his back too so that he didn’t have to tread water the whole time. “So you’re not confined to the water?” 

“Nah, I mean there are some who can’t change upon will and others who can’t change at all… I guess my family is one of the lucky ones.”

“So there are more of you?” Tsukishima stopped floating on his back, excitement and wonder making him unable to stay still. 

“Oh yeah.” Kuroo said as he moved to face Tsukishima properly, legs turning back into a tail. “Most of the people living around the lake are merpeople. But I live in Tokyo, I just come here during the holidays, to this lake where I have some peace and quiet to myself while being able to swim to my heart’s content.” Kuroo finished off while batting his eyelashes at Tsukishima playfully. Tsukishima rolled his eyes and tried to hold back a smile.

“It was a pleasant surprise seeing you come here. Not a lot of people know about this place, they prefer the big lake. What brought you out here?” Kuroo asked as he circled Tsukishima causing the other to push him away saying “You’re not a shark, cut it out.” 

Tsukishima sighed and ran a wet hand through his hair. Kuroo’s eyes watched the droplets fall from the tips of his hair and down his face.  _ He was beautiful. _

“I just wanted to get some fresh air. Time to myself away from people and my friends who are madly in love. I swear, if you sit near them for even a second you’ll be sick with how perfect and sweet they are together.” Tsukishima mock gagged, but he couldn’t hide his smile. "They're great, but there's a limit to how much PDA I can handle."

They sat at the dock and talked –at one point, Tsukishima was able to see and touch Kuroo's tail, it was surprisingly smooth– until the sun was too low to see through the trees.  
  
Kuroo walked Tsukishima back to Yachi’s lake house, he had a change of clothes nearby. Apparently Kuroo was a second year at the university Tsukishima was going to attend in 2 months time. He was on the university swim team, Tsukishima teased him asking how was that fair? He learnt that Kuroo was a chemistry major and knew a friend who was looking for a roommate, if Tsukishima was interested in that –he was. Tsukishima enjoyed their talks, the little banters they had and loved how Kuroo could match his wit and sass. 

Tsukishima laughed for a good two minutes when Kuroo's hair completely dried up and his hair stuck up in a rooster like fashion. He laughed for another minute when Kuroo explained it was from sleeping with his head mashed between his pillows. Kuroo liked how it felt when Tsukishima ran his fingers through his hair to see if he could "tame it." He couldn't. 

They reached the lake house and Tsukishima placed the bike back in the garage. Kuroo followed to help him with his things, holding the –now damp– towel and food basket. Tsukishima found himself reluctant to leave Kuroo. 

“Thanks, Kuroo. I’ve got it.” He said as he took the towel and basket from him, putting the waterproof case inside the basket, and walked to the front door. “I- I’m glad we met. I had a great time this afternoon.” Tsukishima stayed where he was, not wanting to leave Kuroo just yet.   
  
“Will I see you tomorrow?” Kuroo asked, hope in his eyes as he looked at Tsukishima. 

“Yes, same place?”    
  


Kuroo beamed at Tsukishima’s response and had a dopey grin on his face. “11am? I’ll bring brunch. I’ll pack some strawberries too.” 

Tsukishima laughed and nodded. “I’d like that.” 

They stayed there looking at each other for a while before the door behind them opened to show Yamaguchi “There you are Tsukishima! We’ve been wondering where you went off to. Dinner’s pizza, we’re gonna ord– oh. Hi! ummm... Am I interrupting something?” Yamaguchi asked as he looked between Kuroo and Tsukishima.   
  
Kuroo flushed and took a step back. “No, I-” Kuroo cleared his throat before holding out a hand to Yamaguchi. “I’m Kuroo Tetsurou. I was with Tsukishima this afternoon, sorry I took up his time.” He said as he shook Yamaguchi’s hand but his eyes kept glancing back at Tsukishima. “I should probably get going, I don’t want to bother you guys.” Kuroo turned to leave but stopped when Tsukishima took his hand.

“Wait. Would you like to stay for dinner?” Tsukishima was softly and unconsciously stroking Kuroo’s palm. Kuroo looked to Yamaguchi who smiled and nodded at Kuroo encouraging him to say yes. And how could he say no?    
  
Tsukishima’s warm smile seemed to shock Yamaguchi but Kuroo was mostly focused on Tsukishima and the hand still in his that led him into the house.

Kuroo remembers what his grandmother told him about merpeople having soulmates, he never believed her until he saw Tsukishima at the lake. He couldn't tear his eyes away from him. He felt this pull inside, drawing him in wanting to be near the blond and just wanted to make him happy. 

As he walked home, after eating dinner and watching a movie with Tsukishima and his friends, he smiled to himself. Happy that they would see more of each other even after this holiday was over. He would do his best to woo Tsukishima.

**Author's Note:**

> Mermaids have soulmates but, didn't really want to go full in depth about that here so just sort of mentioned/implied it. 
> 
> Might write a sequel fic, but don't hold your breath.  
As mentioned in the beginning note you can write your own sequel to this or a fic inspired by this, as long as you credit me and my fic. (send me your fics via twitter if you do make one, I'd like to read your krtsk mermaid fics) 
> 
> Also **if you want to make Podfics of my fics you can**, just let me know first on Twitter, tumblr or email me: lucytoyn.art@gmail.com （*´▽｀*）
> 
> My sister is working on podfics for the sterek fandom but she's sometimes shy/worried about asking the writers if she's allowed to, so mostly is working on fics that actually mention that they don't mind having their fics podfic-ed. **So for anyone who wants to Podfic one of my works you can, just let me know first.**
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the fic/idea! (´∀｀)♡
> 
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